we have an opportunity to prevent the fiscal cliff, but in order to do so we must act as a unified congress. so i say to all my friends and colleagues, democrats and republicans, let's get this thing done. tonight when that ball drops, let's make sure that we haven't also dropped the ball. the speaker pro tempore: the gentlelady's time has expired. for what purpose does the the gentlewoman from new york rise? without objection. mrs. maloney: madam speaker, it has been nine weeks since superstorm sandy swept across the east coast. 24 u.s. states were in some way affected by sandy. the storm killed at least 131 people in eight states. hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed. the unprecedented disaster caused billions of dollars in loss and economic disruption. just two weeks after hurricane katrina hit the gulf coast, this congress approved more than $62 billion in federal aid to help the devastated area get back on its feet. after hurricanes ike and gustav hit in 2008, a supplemental proacheses bill passed this congress overwhelmingly. all of these aid package